Hearing Conservation

April 2008

Sharon L. Beamer, AuD, CCC-A

Introduction

The ASHA position
statement regarding the role of the audiologist in occupational hearing
conservation defines occupational hearing conservation as the "prevention of
significant, permanent hearing loss resulting from on-the-job exposure to
ototoxic or ototraumatic agents (of which noise is the most common) in workers
(employees and military personnel)." Nonoccupational hearing
conservation refers to the "prevention of significant, permanent hearing
loss resulting from off-the-job exposure to ototraumatic agents (most commonly
noise) in persons of all ages." Audiologists, by virtue of education and
training, play an important role in the prevention of noise-induced hearing
loss. Hearing conservation is a vital preventive medicine service provided by
all audiologists, regardless of their work setting. Although some audiologists
work directly as managers of occupational hearing conservation programs in
industry, others are engaging in patient education in their clinics or school
settings.

Occasionally, audiologists working in a clinical setting are
called upon by a business or a local industry where there are noise-exposed
workers to provide hearing conservation services. It is important for the
audiologist considering taking on such an effort to be well informed about
noise-induced hearing loss, prevention of hearing loss, and the regulations
that govern occupational noise exposure. The audiologist must ensure that any
hearing conservation program provides for the identification and evaluation of
noise hazards, control and reduction of noise in the workplace, and fitting of
and training in the use of personal hearing protective devices; monitoring of
hearing through audiometric testing, audiogram review, and follow-up, including
referral as needed; education of workers regarding the effects of noise on
hearing and health; motivation of management and workers to be committed to a
hearing conservation program; record keeping; and analysis of the program's
effectiveness.

Understanding the regulations is an important first step
in creating an effective hearing conservation program. Although the
Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) is the federal agency that
defines regulations for hearing conservation programs, other agencies such as
the Mine, Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and the Federal Railroad
Administration (FRA) have their own regulations. The audiologist should become
knowledgeable of the differences in regulations, guidelines, and best practices
for state, local, and federal agencies and for the given business or industry
for which he or she provides hearing conservation services. In her article, "The
Modern Evolution of Hearing Conservation Regulations," Dr. Theresa Y.
Schulz, CCC-A, highlights the differences among the OSHA, MSHA, and FRA
regulations and the "best practices" described by the National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The article first appeared in the
Council for Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation (CAOHC)
newsletter, Update in the winter 2007 issue. It is reprinted in this
issue of Access Audiology with the permission of CAOHC.*

*ASHA plays an important role as one of nine
component professional organizations (CPOs) that make CAOHC such a highly
successful nonprofit educational and certifying body in the hearing
conservation field. ASHA has two representatives to CAOHC: Ted Madison,
regulatory affairs specialist from 3M and the current council chair, and Mary
McDaniel, owner of Pacific Hearing Conservation, Inc. We are appreciative of
the work and leadership of these two individuals and CAOHC in the area of
hearing conservation.

References

American
Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2004). The audiologist's role in
occupational hearing conservation and hearing loss prevention programs
[Position Statement]. Available from ASHA's
Practice Policy.

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
(2004). The audiologist's role in occupational hearing
conservation and hearing loss prevention programs [Technical Report].
Available from ASHA's
Practice Policy.

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About Us

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association for 198,000 members and affiliates who are audiologists; speech-language pathologists; speech, language, and hearing scientists; audiology and speech-language pathology support personnel; and students.